Monthly Archives: April 2017

You may own one of Canada Goose’s parkas, and now you can also own shares in the luxury apparel maker.

The Toronto-based business went public on Thursday, with its shares opening at $18 on the New York Stock Exchange. Canada Goose will also trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Shares closed the day up more than 25 percent, slightly above US$16, marking the second biggest IPO debut of 2017 and trailing only Snap’s 44-percent gain on its first day of trading earlier this month.

Canada Goose priced its initial public offering of 20 million shares at CA$17, or about US$12.78, according to a source familiar with the matter. That price was above an initial expected range of between CA$14 and CA$16.

The IPO raised CA$340 million, or about $255 million.

In 2016, the Canadian outerwear manufacturer said it had revenue of $291 million, and $103 million of that revenue came from U.S. consumers. The company reported a gross profit of $146 million and net income of $27 million for the same year.

In going public, the business, known for its $900 parkas with fur-lined hoods, is looking to grow. Canada Goose launched its national e-commerce platform in 2015 and then opened its first U.S. retail store in New York late last year.

“There is opportunity in everything,” Chief Executive Dani Reiss told CNBC in an interview on Thursday. “[Canada Goose] has tremendous geographical opportunities,” including in Europe and in Asia, he said.

Growing won’t come without a few challenges along the way, though.

On Thursday, protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stood outside both the New York and Toronto stock exchanges, wearing coyote masks and waving signs reading, “Trading in Lives Is Bad for Business” and “Indecent Public Offering.”

Wearing coyote masks and business suits and waving signs against Canada Goose and their use of fur, PETA members gather outside the New York Stock Exchange on March 16, 2017 to protest as Canada Goose makes its initial public offering in New York.

“Every fur-trimmed cheap Canada Goose outlet represents the terrifying and painful death of a coyote who was trapped, strangled, shot, stomped on, or bludgeoned,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA is calling on consumers to reject Canada Goose’s cruelty to coyotes and geese and to invest in kindness by buying vegan clothing instead.”

PETA said it planned to purchase about $4,000 worth of shares in the company, enough to submit a letter to shareholders and attend the annual shareholder meeting, PETA corporate liaison Sara Britt told CNBC. After the IPO Thursday morning, PETA confirmed it bought 230 shares of Canada Goose stock.

PETA said it owns stock in other apparel and luxury good makers such as Lululemon and Prada, which use exotic animal skin in their products.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Canada Goose acknowledged the protesters, saying: “We have been the target of activists in the past, and may continue to be in the future. Our products include certain animal products, including goose and duck feathers in all of our down-filled parkas and coyote fur on the hoods of some of our parkas, which has drawn the attention of animal welfare activists.”

“We use fur for function, first and foremost … and we know our customers care about ethical and sustainable sources,” Canada Goose CEO Reiss said in reaction to the protests outside the NYSE on Thursday.

Canada Goose outlet has created a program that traces where its materials are sourced from, he said, adding that the company sells many products that don’t use fur.

Lead underwriters of Canada Goose’s offering included Canadian bank CIBC Capital Markets, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets. Shares are now trading under the ticker symbol “GOOS.”